Penfound Design was given a special honor by
being selected to show a vehicle at the 40th Annual NSRA
Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky, August 6-9, 2009.
A special feature added to the
NSRA Street Rod Nationals in 2006, the Builders' Showcase
is a "one-of-a-kind display of
vehicles by street rodding's elite
professional builders," according to the NSRA description
of the event. Held in the South Wing lobbies of the
Kentucky Exposition Center, the cars were on display all
four days of the prestigious Nationals, which brings thousands
of cars, and hundreds of commercial exhibitors to
Louisville
each year.
"The
National Street Rod Association is excited to be able to
bring these works of automotive art to the
Street Rod Nationals for the fourth year in a row so
thousands of enthusiasts from around the world will be able to
appreciate the workmanship and creativity of their builders.
This activity is another highlight of street rodding's most
significant event of the year." Thanks to everyone at the
National Street Rod Association.
To learn more about the NSRA and its events, visit:www.nsra-usa.com

It makes perfect sense that the Sabertooth GTO
motor would make its debut in a national magazine before
the car...because the engine
is the heart of the beast. The 449
cubic inch motor with 507 horsepower and 528 lb-ft of
torque, might owe its heritage to Pontiac, but it got its muscle
through the partner companies which made it happen. High
Performance Pontiac did an in depth, six page story of the motor
build in the July, 2009, issue of the magazine. "When it came
time for Barry Penfound, of Penfound Design, to choose a power
plant for 'Sabertooth', his '64 Pro-Touring GTO project, he
didn't have to look any further than the engine bay. You guessed
it- the original 389 was still there," Don Keefe explained in
his story, which had photos and contributions from HPP editor
Thomas A. DeMauro.
"To marry vintage flavor to modern
technology and increase power at the same time, Barry turned to
Bryan Weber of Weber Racing Equipment in
North Ridgeville,
Ohio, who formed a plan that put the goals with practical
reach, and his dad, Dave, assembled
the engine," Keefe wrote. The August issue of High Performance
Pontiac saw the motor move on to the dyno to find out if it
would make the kind of horsepower worthy of a GTO tiger...

"While at
Weber Racing, it became a 449 ci, Edelbrock-headed beast that
was topped off with one of the Barry Grant Six-Shooter setups,
which offers a modern approach to the Tri-Power systems we are
now so familiar with," Keefe writes. "The end result was an
engine that was substantially larger in
cubic inches
and more powerful and lighter than the original 389, all
positive attributes to have in a performance-oriented
Pro-Touring machine." The results, on the dyno at
Michael's Racing Engines in Macedonia, Ohio, were spectacular.
"After multiple
pulls and backup pulls (which include timing and jet changes),
it was determined that the second was the best. The 21st Century Tri-Power laid down a
corrected best of 507.6 hp at 5,700 rpm, with 528.3 lb-ft of
torque at 4,400 rpm." Penfound Design
thanks Bryan and Dave Weber of Weber Racing, Michael Tietro of
Michael's Racing Engines, Ken Wilhelm of Ken's Performance, and Jeff Gulley for
all the help with the engine build and testing. The following partners helped make the project
possible: Edelbrock, Barry Grant Inc.,
Wiseco Pistons, Eagle Specialty Products,
Federal Mogul Corporation, Comp Performance Group,
Milodon, MSD, and Crane. Thanks to High Performance Pontiac,
Thomas D. DeMauro and Don Keefe.